Thursday, 24 November 2011

James Landale on BBC News: That thing on your top lip better be for charity sunshine :)

This is James Landale. He's the respected Deputy Politics Editor from BBC News.

You will have often seen him standing outside the Houses of Parliament at various times of the day, but often at the times of the main BBC News bulletins.

He's very knowledgeable about the political news of the day, especially when the Politics Editor Nick Robinson isn't on shift.

All in all, tv-ooh admires his work greatly.

But look closer. Listen, closely.

Huw Edwards is in the studio asking a question like this:

But! To the disappointment of everyone watching the BBC News at Ten, Huw Edwards failed to ask the question on everybody's lips.

Never mind the top political news of the day - it couldn't have been that big anyway, it was 20 minutes in - what we all wanted to hear was:

"So James, what IS that above your top lip?"

So let's pretend Huw did ask that question. James would smile, and maybe give a small laugh, because he's on air don't forget, and do something with his hands and face like this:

As he begins his answer, we can only imagine he'd stick to the facts and only the facts, because he's a journalist don't forget, but he'd also lightly pepper it with his 'personality', because some journalists on the tv like to do that, too.

"Well Huw, it's a moustache," he'll say, "and I've grown it here underneath my nose and above my top lip, as that's often regarded as the best place for them to grow but that's in no way set in stone."

"Right," says Huw, "And what do we know of the wider implications of this decision as it stands?"

James might then put his moustache into some sort of wider political context; he might not.

He might tell us what Theresa May thinks of it; he might not.

He may even venture to make a connection with the Euro in some way; he might not.

We just don't know.

But what's important here, in this imaginary live report on the BBC News at Ten, is that the question on the minds of everyone watching James Landale at this time has been answered, if not addressed.

All we need now is a close up, like this:

It is a truly, if slightly distracting, thing of wonder.

(In truth, James Landale has grown his moustache in support of 'Movember', a charity event where, during November, men grow a moustache to raise funds and awareness of cancers that affect men, such as prostate cancer.